Piper is the representative genus of family Piperaceae. Piper species are pan-tropical in distribution and found in both the hemispheres. As the king of all spices, black pepper, Piper nigrum, led to the global expeditions culminating in the discovery of India and the new world. Piper species have been reported to possess various pharmacological activities such as insecticidal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, anti-hypertensive, antithyroid, antitumor activities and hepatoprotective properties. Botanical authentication of the plants of Piper species is difficult because of the morphological similarity among the species. This book describes ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode to study the quantitative variation of thirteen bioactive markers in different plant parts of ten Piper species. Features: Collection of Ayurvedic features and scientific evidence of the most important medicinal plants of Piper species. Describes chemical signatures for identification of Piper species. Provides easy-to-use analytical procedure for quality control of Piper species and its products.

Ocimum species has been used as a traditional remedy for various ailments such as arthritis, bronchitis, cold, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, dysentery, and flatulence, as well as for healing wounds and lowering blood glucose level. These are characterized by variations in their morphology such as the shape, size and pigmentation of leaves, which cause differences in chemical composition and affect the commercial value of this genus. This book describes phytochemical investigations of Ocimum species using LC-MS/MS instruments to study qualitative and quantitative variations of phytochemicals in different Ocimum species. Features: Collection of Ayurvedic features and scientific analytical and pharmacological evidence of most important medicinal plants of genus Ocimum. Chemical signatures for the identification of Ocimum species. Easy-to-use analytical procedure for quality control of plants of Ocimum species and its herbal products.

Withania is a genus of the nightshade family of flowering plants distributed in the subtropical regions from the Mediterranean to South East Asia. Only two species, W. somnifera and W. coagulans, are found in India. The most common species is W. somnifera (WS), which occurs naturally in the subtropical regions from the Mediterranean through Africa to the Middle East, the Indian Continent, Sri Lanka, South East Asia, subtropical America and Australia. It is a perennial shrub that grows to 75 cm (.75 m) tall with tomentose branches, oval yellowish green leaves, orange red berries and a papery calyx, and it survives harsher climatic conditions. In Ayurveda it is believed the plants which survive harsh conditions have strong healing and tonification properties. The main bioactive phytoconstituents of WS are withanolides (steroidal lactones), alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols, phenolics and others. Among the various withanolides, withanolide A, withaferin A, withanone and withanolide D are the most abundant, having various activities. WS is a wonder herb with a broad spectrum of pharmacological properties, such as antioxidant, antidepressant, aphrodisiac, antiulcerogenic, antivenom, anti-inflammatory, antiarthritic, anticancer, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, anticancerous, antidiabetic, antitumor, hemopoetic neuroregenerative, immunomodulatory, cardioprotective, radio-sensitizing, rejuvenating, antistress, sedative, hypoglycemic, thyroprotective, adaptogenic, antispasmodic, immunomodulatory, immunostimulant and antiaging properties. The simultaneous quantitative analysis of six major bioactive withanolides in five varieties of WS and in different plant parts (root, stem and leaf) of WS was accomplished. This method is also applicable to control the quality of commercially formulated products which contain WS bioactive compounds. Results indicated the WS variety NMITLI-135 showed the maximum abundance of withanolides at pH 8.5, EC-0.5 dS m 1, ESP-13 in sodic soil. Our results showed this readily available, rapid and reliable method is suitable for the routine analysis and effective quality control of raw materials and finished products. FEATURES Presents a collection of Ayurvedic features and scientific analytical and pharmacological evidence of important medicinal plants of Withania somnifera Useful for natural product researchers, faculty, students and herbal product manufacturers Uses advanced hyphenated techniques for assessing phytoconstituents

Piper is the representative genus of family Piperaceae. Piper species are pan-tropical in distribution and found in both the hemispheres. As the king of all spices, black pepper, Piper nigrum, led to the global expeditions culminating in the discovery of India and the new world. Piper species have been reported to possess various pharmacological activities such as insecticidal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, anti-hypertensive, antithyroid, antitumor activities and hepatoprotective properties. Botanical authentication of the plants of Piper species is difficult because of the morphological similarity among the species. This book describes ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole electrospray tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) mode to study the quantitative variation of thirteen bioactive markers in different plant parts of ten Piper species. Features: Collection of Ayurvedic features and scientific evidence of the most important medicinal plants of Piper species. Describes chemical signatures for identification of Piper species. Provides easy-to-use analytical procedure for quality control of Piper species and its products.

Ocimum species has been used as a traditional remedy for various ailments such as arthritis, bronchitis, cold, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, dysentery, and flatulence, as well as for healing wounds and lowering blood glucose level. These are characterized by variations in their morphology such as the shape, size and pigmentation of leaves, which cause differences in chemical composition and affect the commercial value of this genus. This book describes phytochemical investigations of Ocimum species using LC-MS/MS instruments to study qualitative and quantitative variations of phytochemicals in different Ocimum species. Features: Collection of Ayurvedic features and scientific analytical and pharmacological evidence of most important medicinal plants of genus Ocimum. Chemical signatures for the identification of Ocimum species. Easy-to-use analytical procedure for quality control of plants of Ocimum species and its herbal products.